Wagon end-gate.



"No. 728,846- PATENTED MAY 26 1903.

A, o. BOWKER.

WAGON END GATE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27, 1903.

30' MODEL.

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Patented Ma 26, 1903.

PATENT Prion.

AMAZIAH O. BOW'KER, OF ST. JOHN, KANSAS.

WAGON EN D-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 728,846, dated May 26, 1903.

Application filed March 27, 1903. Serial N0.149,884. (No model.)

To all w/wm, it may concern;

Be it known that I, AMAZIAH O. BOWKER, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. John, in the county of Stafiord and State of Kansas, have invented a new and useful Wagon End-Gate, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the end-gates of wagons of the class known as break-joint end-gates or tail-boards, and has for its object to provide means whereby the locking mechanism attached to the end-gate is rendered non-releasable by the jars or concussions to which the wagon will be subjected when in use; and the invention consists'in certain novel features of the construction, as hereinafter shown and described, and specified in the claim.

Inthe drawings illustrativeof theinvention,

in which corresponding parts are denoted by like designatingcharacters, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear end of a wagon-box with the improved end-gate applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the parts shown in Fig. 1. proved device, illustrating its construction more fully.

The wagon-box bottom is represented at 10, the vertical sides at 11 12, and the spaced endgate cleats at 13 14. I

The end-gate consists of two sectionsa relatively long section 15 and a relatively short section 16-the two sections engaging the cleats 13 14 by their outer ends and hinged together at 17 by their inner ends. Extending from the shorter section 16 is an arm 18, overlapping the longer section and having a longitudinal recess 19 in its free end,the recess preferably guarded by a U shaped wear-plate 20. Mounted for rotation in the section 15 is a bolt or catch 21, the bolt being located opposite the recess 19 when the gate is closed and having a laterally-extended head 22, adapted to extend over the plate 20 when the arm 18 is in its closed position, as in Fig. 1. Attached to the arm 18 is a spring-bar 23, having its free end formed with an offset 24 to engage the head '22 and form a yieldable Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the im-- stop to the catch and prevent its accidental displacement relative to the arm 18. The spring-bar will thus hold the catch with sufficient firmness to prevent the accidental release of the catch by any jars or concussions to which it will be subjected While in use, but which will yield to a rotating force applied to thehead 22 of the catch when the gate is to be detached.

Great annoyance frequently results from the accidental release of the end-gates of wagons, frequently entailing hea-vy loss and damage, and many expedients have been resorted to to prevent this; but such means are generally so clumsy and expensive as to prevent their practical use. The device which forms the subject-matter of the present application, however, is so simple, cheap, and easily ap plied that it will efficiently secure the endgate from accidental displacement without increasing the expense or complicating the parts and will be found very efficient for the purposes described.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is- The combination of 'a wagon-box havingv vertical spaced cleats at its inner sides, an end-gate formed of two sections engaging said cleats by their outer ends and movably united at their inner ends, a catch mounted for rotation upon one of said gate-sections and provided with a lateral extension spaced from said. gate-section, an arm extending from the othergate-section and having a longitudinal recess in its free end engaging said catch member between said extension and the adjacent gate-section, and a stop-spring connected to said arm and engaging said extension to support it yieldabiy in its closed position, substantially as described.

In testimonythat I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

AMAZIAH o. BOWKER. 

